Loading and conveying apparatus



Nov. 20 1923.

J. C. FRENCH LOADING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 13 1919 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 m. v r M WITNESSES Nov." 20 1923.

J. c, FRENCH LOADING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS 1919 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 13

w m Q I v NE b in w v v I \\\\1n .8 H 1 x v V J I 4 i m R P .14. A. 1 i M w lllll WITNESSES INVENTOR I J'Qframck W A TTORANE Y Nov, 2 0, 1923.

J. C. FRENCH LOADING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 15, 1919 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR (12%");

- ATTORNEY WITNESSES Nov. 20, 1923. 1,474,356

' J. C. FRENCH LOADING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 13, 1919 '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 7 11V VENTOR LOADING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS Fiied Feb. 13, 1919 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 JAVENTOR A TTOR/VE V Nov. 20 1923. A 1,474,56

s. c. FRENCH LOADING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 13, 1919 '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 ATTORNEY Nov. 20 i923. 1,4?4fi56 J. c. FRENCH LOADING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed'Feb. 13, 1919 '7 Sheets-Sheet W] TNESSES 11w N TOR qzflf cwww C -ATTORNEY Paienled Nov. Ell, 3.93. 23.

nurse JAMES C. FRENCH, 0F GIFIGAGG, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY ASSIGNMENTS, 1'6 15. C. AUSTIN MACHIHE BY CQMEAHY, A CORPORATION GE ILLINOIS.

LGADIKG AND GQNVEYENG APPABATUS.

, poslcevion filed February 13, 1%18. $erial B50. 2%,???

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, James C. FRENCH, citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, Illinois, have in vented a certain new and useful Improvement in Loading and Conveying Apparatus, of which the following-is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for conveying niaierialsto the loading: hopper of a. mixing machine, or any other recephacle, and more particularly to those used iuconjunction with portable mixing plants. In the use of apparatus of this kind, the materials'such as sand and gravel, are dumped in heaps on the street, and are then delivered to the loading hopper of the mixer. T his has been done in various Ways.

Generally stated. therefore. the object of this invention is to provide a novel and irn proved apparatus for transferring the mar terials from the surface of the streetto -ithe loading hopper of the mis or to any other receptacle, in a more expeditious and satisfactory manner 'than heretofore, and with less manual labor.

Special objects are to provide certain dctails and features of construction and com binations tending io increase the general elliciency and the desirability of a conveying and loading apparatus of this particular character.

To these and other useful ends the invention consisis in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed.

in the accompzmving drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a loading: and conveying apparatus embodying the principles of the invention. with one end portion of said apparatus omitted.

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of one of the measuring devices by which. the insterials are delivered in batches to the traveling conveyer which extends along: inhe street, and by which the materials are conveyed. to the loading hopper of the mixer.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of that portion of the apparatus which is omitted in Fig. 1.

Fig.4 is an enlarged detail seci ional view of a portion of one of the loading machines.

Fig. 5 is a plan of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. I

Fig. 6 is a plan of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan oi one of the portable or self-propelled loading machines,

with certain portions thereof omitted for V convenience of illustration, and to bring into view certain parts below.

Fig. 8 is-a rear elevation, on a smaller scale, of said loadinginachine.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged plan of e portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 7.

As thus illustrated, the apparatus comprises a long portable conveyor comprising a frame 1 supported on Wheels 2 and 3, izhe latter being driven from en engine within the hood or housing 4 carried by the body frsnie. At its delivery end this conveyer has an upwardly tilted poriion 5 which Will,

overhang the loading hopper 6 of the con crete mixer,:when the apparatus is in use on the street, and the conveyor belt '2' travels around the pulleys 8 at the receiving end of she conveyor and around the pulleys 9 at the discharge end thereof, and is supported at intermediate points by other pulleys 10, ll, 12 and 13. so shot the belt runs smoothly and practically Without friction to,

sides of the portable conveyor. and these' materials are then transferred to the conveyor belt 7 to be transported to the loading hopper of the mixer. For this purpose, the two loading machines A and B areprovided and or 'anged to Worlrai opposite sides of said portable conveyor. The two machines are practically alike, except that one is aright hand machine and the other is a left hand machine. as shown, so that they both start at she ends of the heaps or masses 15 and 16 neerestihe traction Wheels 3 of the portable conveyor, and then gradually work toward the end of the portable conveyor which has the pulley or roll 8 previously described. A description of one of thesev loading machines will. therefore. be sufiicient.

The loading machine A. comprises a body frame 17 mountedon caterpillar traction belts 18, in any suiiehle or desired manner,

said traction belts being driven by sprocket chain connections 19 with the opposite ends of the transversely arranged square shaft 20, the latter being mounted in suitable hearings on said body frame. control the transmission of power from this shaft to the sprocket chains 19, whereby the two caterpillar traction devices can bc operated simultaneously or'one at a time, and whereby the machine can be driven straight ahead, or turned to the right or the left, or turned clear around. 1h transversely arranged belt conveyor 22 is disposed over the tracks 23 which are mounted on said body frame,one end of said transverse conveyer projecting laterally far enough to extend over the portable conve er having the belt 7 previously describe This transverse conveyor 22 is preferably driven by a sprocket chain connection 24 from the shaft 20, there being a bevel gear connection 25 between this sprocket chain and the conveyer, whereby rotation of the shaft 20 serves not only to propel the traction belts 18, but also to operate the transverse conveyer. The laterally shifting auxiliary frame 26 is provided with wheels 27 that travel on the tracks 23, thereby providing a carriage or truck which is adapted to reciprocate or travel back and forth from one side of the loading machine to the other. An internal combustion engine or other prime mover 28 is mounted upon the rearwardly projecting end portion of the frame 26, and an endlessvbncket elevator comp-rising the, tilting frame 29 with its endless chain of buckets 30 is pivotally mounted on the shaft 31 at the forwardly projecting end of the frame 26, thus providing a means for scooping up the materials on the street, and carrying them upwardly and then discharging them onto the transverse conveyor 22, so that the said materials will then be discharged onto the portable conveyor. The shaft 31' is connected with the upper shaft 32 of the elevator by the sprocket chain 33, and the shaft 31 is connected by a sprocket chain 34 with the shortt'ransverse shaft which is mounted in bearings on the central portion of the frame 26, directly above the' long shaft 20; and this shaft35 is connectcd by a sprocket chain 36 with the said enzinc or prime mover, through. the medium of a clutch 37 to control the transmission of power; and a similar clutch 38 controls the transmission of power from the shaft 35 to the sprocket chain 34, in a manner that will be readily understood. The shaft 35 is connected with. the shaft20 by a sprocket chain 39,- in order to rotate the shaft 20 in one direction,- and the spur gears 40 and 41 on these two shafts provide the means for reversing the direction of rotation of the shaft 20. whereby the latter can be driven in either direction to cause the caterpillar Clutches 21 nemesis traction belts 18 to propel the loading machine either forward or backward. This is done through the medium of the reversing clutch mechanism 42 of any suitable character, mounted on the shaft. 35 between the power from these bevel gears 44 to the shaft 43, so that the latter can'be rotated in either direction, depending upon which of the two bevel gears 44 is coupled to the axle. In other words, the closing of the clutch46 will rotate theshaft 43 in one direction, while the opening of this clutch and the closing of the clutch 47 will then reverse the rotation of said shaft. Thisreveising gear, through which power is transmitted to propel the auxiliary frame 28 back and forth on the main body frame, is preferably controlled automatically through the medium of levers 48 and 49 which engage, respectively, the clutches 46 and 47, and which are connected together by an endwise reciprocating bar o-r member 50 supported in any suitable manner, The auxiliary frame 26 is provided with a reciprocating rod 51 arranged parallel with the shaft 20, and this rod 51 has a bell crank connection with one end of the bar 50, whereby reciprocation of the rod 51 will cause the bar 50 to move endwise, thereby to control the clutches 4.6 and 47, and in this way to reverse the direction of travel of the auxiliary frame. For this purpose, the rod 51 is provided with fixed collars 52 and 53, and with sliding.-c ollars 54 and 55; and between each fixed collar and its oppositely arranged slidingr collar a coil spring, 56 is interposed for compression. The auxiliary frame 26 is provided with pivoted catches 57 and 58 for engaging the collars 52 and 53, and the main body'frame i provided with stops 59 and 60 for engaging, respectively, the slidinp; rollers 54 and 55, whereby the automatic reversal of the direction of travel of the auxiliary frame 26 is accomplished. It will be seen. for example, that when the collar 55 engages the stop 6'). thereby compressing the spring 56, the rod 51 will be reciprocated endwise until the fixed collar 52 is caught and held by the pivoted catch. 57,

with the result that the two clutches 46 and 47 are controlled to automatically rev."-:Se the direction of travel of the auxiliary frame 26; and then when the collar 54 enincense gages thestop 59, the spring 56 will be compressed, and the rod 51 will be shifted endwise, so that the collar 53 will then be caught; and held by the catch 58; and this endwlse reciprocation of the rod 51 willagain control the clutches 4G and 47 and reverse the direction of travel of the auxiliary frame. It will be observed that the upper ends of the rollers 54 and 55 have beveled portions 81 and 62 for tripping the catches 57 and 58, thereby to permit the springs 56. to shift the rod 51 endwise a l-, ternately in opposite directions. Thus, with this arrangement, the reversing gear comprising the bevel gears i l and and the cluurhes and a? is automatically controlled by the back and forth motion of the auxiliary frame 26. so that the latter reverses. it own motion, so to speak, and continues to travel back and forth or oscillate as long: as power is coninuinicated to the shaft from the engine. This oscillating or back lower end of the elevator having the buckets 30 to work back and forth acros the long pile or heap of materials 16, while the caterpillar belts 18 are operated slowly, or from time to time, to cause the loading machine to'travel forward in a direction parallel with the belt 7 of the portable conveyor. Preferably, the lower end of said elevator is provided with a pair of rotary feeding devices (33, of any suitable character, for throwing the sand or gravel or other materials into the mouths of the buckets a the latter trave forward while'passing' from the downward path of travel to their upward direction of travel. For example, these rotary feeding devices can be of the kind shown and described in my Fatent No. 1,409,695. These rotary feeding devices, it will he understood, are driven through the medium of suitable connection through the i lower end of the elevator, so that when the elevator i operated the feeding devices are operated also. Thus, with this arrangement. these feeding devices and the elevator operate back and forth across th long pile or heap of materials and in time the materials are entirely taken up from the sun face of the lstreehso that the latter is left clean.

Preferably, in apparatus of this character, involving mechanical loaders asa substitute for the" manual shoveling of the materials onto'the belt 7 of the portable GOHVBYElj/Zllg transverse belt conveyor 22 has its overhanging, end provided with a measurinflf device bywhich to discharge the materials in meas ured or predetermined quantities onto said portable conveyer. The said measuring device can be of any suitable character, as for example such as shown in Fig. 2; and as thus illustrated, said device comprises a hopperfi which is hung on the projecting" and forth movement causes the end of the transverse conveyor, and which is provided at. its lower end with pivoted valves 65 which are connected together in any suitable manner for operation in unison. These valves 65 are connected with an oscillatory worm gear 66 which engages the worm or screw 67, the latter having a han-' dle 68 by which the worm gearing thus provided can be operated to control the valve mechanism at the bottom of said hopper. It will be understood that the loader it at the other side of the portable convcyer is pro v-ided with a similar measuring device having a handle 69 for the operation thereof. lVith this arrangement, an attendant stand- .ing at one side of the portable conveyor can operate the handlestlS and 69 to dis harge measured or predetermined quantities of the sand 01' gravel or other materials upon the top of the portable conveyer, so that the latter will deliver them materials in the proper proportions to the previously mentioned hopper 6 of the portable mixing plant. The two loaders A and B are provided respectively with seats 70 and 71, so that the operator of each machine can con trol the various clutches at will, suitable connections being provided for this purpose. In other words. on the loadingmachine A, the clutches 21, 37, 38 and 42 are all adapted to be manually controlled, of course, and for this purpose may be connected with the usual or any-suitable levers or other controlling instrumentalities disposed in front of the driver or operator who occupies the seat of the machine.

It will be understood, of course, that the transmission of power from the shaft 35 to the shaft 20 is of such character that the sprocket wheel for the lower portion of the sprocket chain 39 and also the gear wheel ll are adapted to slide back and forth on the shaft 20, the latter being: square for that purpose. This is preferably accomplished by providing, bracket bearings 72 on the frame 26 to slide the said power transmitting elements ii-mg the shaft 20, thereby to preserve the operative condition of the reversible power transmitting connection provided between the shaft 35 and the shaft 20, notwithstanding the back and forth motion oithe auxiliary frame 26 from one side of the machine to the other during the operation of the apparatus. As stated, the loading machine B is exactly the same in this respect, and the two machines are practically duplicates, except that one is a. right hand machine and the other a left hand machine, as previously explained.

With this construction, it will be seen that no manual shoveling is necessary in order to transfer large quantities of sand or gravel or other materials from the street to the portable conveyor belt, 7, and that. this is accomplished by delivering the materials the mixer. The driver of each loading machine causes the machine to travel forward in a direction parallel with the portable conveyer belt 7. and in this way the two long piles-or masses of materials are gradually transferred to the belt without the necessity of any manual shoveling wl'iatever.

The elevator of each loading machin yureferably has a spout T3. and this spout travels back and forth above the transverse conveyer 22. so that. the materials are discharged onto the latter at points in the length thereof.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the long portable conveyor is self-propelled and self-contained in character, having its own power plant and being: capable of receiving materials at any point in the length thereof and of then discharging the same from the front end of the belt conveyor into any suitable receptacle, the power plant be- 'ing' located in rear of the diseharge end ofthe tirely self-contained in character, and is adapted to operate independently of the conveyor, but ,the loader and the conveyor are adapted and designed and combined to cooperate in transferring the materials from the str et to the mixer or to any other desired machine or place.

What I claim as my invention is:

i. In apparatus for handling materials, the combination of a portable main frame having! a track thereon, a transverse conveyer arranged parallel with and? above said track. said transverse conveyer, being supported on the main frame, a shifting frame disposed below said transverse conveyor and provided with wheels to travel on said track, so that said shifting frame is movable hack and forth below the transverse c-onveyer, having provisions to drive said conveyor from the shifting frame, mechanism to automatically reverse the direction of travel of said shifting frame, apparatus c arried by the shifting frame to deliver the materials onto said transverse conveyer, and common power means for operating: said last mentioned apparatus, said shifting frame and said conveyor.

2. In a machine for handling materials, the combination of a portable main frame having a track thereon, a transverse conveyor arranged parallel with and above said track, said transverse conveyor being sup- 1&7425358 ported on the main frame, a shifting frame disposed below said transverse conveyor and provided with wheels to travel on said track, so that said shifting frame is movable back and forth below the transverse conveyor, mechanism to automatically reverse the (lirect-ion of travel of said shifting frame, and. apparatus carried by the shifting frame to deliver the materials onto said transverse conveyor, said shifting frame being of a length to extend a distance outward from each side of said transverse conveyor. a prime mover mounted on one projecting end of said shifting frame. means on the other projecting end of said laterally shifting frame to support said apparatus, a power transmitting connection extending under the transverse conveyor from 52 id prime mover to said apparatus. and means forming a part of said automatic mechanism and arranged to connect the prime mover with at least one of the wheels of said shifting frame.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1, said mechanism comprising a reversing: gear through which power is communicated to at least one of said wheels, and instrumentalities controlled by engagement with the main frame in the hack and forth motionof said shiftingframe to automatically control said reversing gear.

a. In an apparatus for handling materials, the combination of a self-propelled main frame. a transverse conveyor on said main frame, a shifting frame movable transversely of said main frame. means on said shifting frame for gathering materials from the ground and conveying them rpwardly to position for discharge onto said conveyer, apower plant on said shitting -fran-ie connected-to operate said gathering and conveying means and said transverse conveyor, and means for automatically reversingthe direction of travel of said frame.

5. In an apparatus for handling; materials;

the combination of a self-propelled main frame, a transverse eonveyer on said main frame, a shifting frame n'iovahle transversely of said main frame, means on said shifting frame for gathering materials from the ground and conveying them upwardly toposition'for discharge onto said conveyor, a power plant on said shifting frame 'connected to operate said gathering and conveymg'means and said transverseconveyer,

and means for automatically reversing the direction of travel of said frame said revers ing means comprising a reversing gear and 0. FRENCH, 

